Training for a marathon requires miles upon miles of running, giving many people the impression that this sort of training is the ideal way to lose weight. However, most marathon runners don't even stay at their current weight, let alone lose weight. Most marathon runners usually gain weight while training for a marathon. The extremely high activity level of marathon training combined with the constant muscle building makes losing weight difficult. While weight gain is the norm for marathoners, it is possible to lose weight if you are extremely motivated to do so.
Step 1
Get up. If you go for a long run, then come home and park yourself on the couch all day, you haven't burned many more calories than if you had been moderately active the whole day. If you want to lose weight, you'll need to do more than sit around all day after you run.
Step 2
Avoid overeating. Running several miles does not mean you can eat whatever you want. It does give you more calories, but you don't get an unlimited number. Eat a little more at your meals, but don't snack all day. If you're constantly snacking, you're probably not keeping track of how much you're eating, and calories add up fast.
Step 3
Eat enough food to keep you moving. Dieting while training for a marathon is walking a very fine line. If you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. If you eat too few calories, you won't have the energy to train. Don't overdo the calorie cutting, aim for reducing your caloric intake by about 100 calories a day then decide whether you should go lower. In general, women need 500 to 1,300 calories a day more than they were eating before training for a marathon, while men need up to 800 more calories.
Step 4
Cut calories after your run. Instead of trying to cut calories before your run and risking performance problems, eat normally until after your run. According to sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, once you're done with your workout, you can miss 100 calories without it having an impact on your training.
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